Savior Self
The search for Zaalbar continues, and Mission harasses Carth.
Taris part eleven.
Rated PG13
Disclaimer: Hahaha. Wouldn't that be neat if I owned Star Wars? HAHAHAHA.
Savior Self
The search for Zaalbar was delayed a day, and they took a reluctant Mission back to their apartment. It was difficult to haul an unconscious Cortessa all the way back to the Upper City, but because she was so stunningly beautiful, and because she was dressed in almost nothing, everyone assumed that she was just too drunk and had passed out. Mission pretended to be the ever-perfect slave, allowing Carth to shove her from behind, though he didn't do it too terribly roughly as they walked along.
As the sun set that night, Carth and Mission sat at the round center table, their eyes fixed on each other as they silently sipped some caffa.
"I'm sorry about your Wookiee friend," Carth said at last.
Mission shook her head sadly. "I just hope we get to him in time," she muttered. She decided to change the subject. She looked up at him with wide, curious eyes. "Hey, Carth?"
He smiled. "Yes?"
"You're a pilot for the Republic, right? You've been all over the galaxy I bet, right? So tell me, how would you rate Taris compared to the other worlds you've seen?"
Carth was surprised, and he shifted uncomfortably. "I'll be honest, Mission," he said at last. "Taris would rate pretty low. The prejudice, the rich spoiling themselves while the poor are crushed beneath them – not a pretty picture."
Mission shifted unhappily, desperate to defend her home world. "Yeah, but that's only since the Sith occupation. Before that… well… I guess… it wasn't all that different, really." She seemed to be smashed for a second as she thought about it. "Maybe Taris ain't as great as I thought, you know?"
Carth wanted to make her understand that there were good places out there. "Trust me, Mission. There are a lot of worlds better than Taris." Her face fell, and he quickly threw in a few things to make her feel better. "There are worse, too. But Taris is no place for a kid to live on her own – even a kid who's got a Wookiee to look after her."
Mission's headtails flicked with agitation. Her eyes grew narrow. "Hey, I ain't no kid!" she barked. "And I look out for Zaalbar as much as he looks out for me! Big Z's my friend, not my babysitter! Geez, I come ask you a question and you give me a lecture!"
Carth accidentally snapped on a father-like, scolding tone. "Don't you snap at me, missy! You want a lecture? How's this: only bratty little children fly off the handle because of a simple comment!"
Mission let out a scream of anger, and thrust a fist in his direction. Cortessa stirred on the bed and mumbled something before she faded out. Mission continued her tirade. "I don't have to listen to you, Carth! You ain't my father – but you're sure old enough to be! So keep your lectures inside your withered old head, 'cause I don't need 'em!"
Carth felt his face grow hot with his frustration. He slammed his fist on the table but calmed himself, forcefully remembering that she was a child. He glowered at her. "I sure as hell don't need this, so let's just drop it."
Mission sniffed and looked away, and though she tried to look composed, her headtails were clearly flushed with her excitement.
Cortessa suddenly arched her back, moaning. Carth looked at her as her eyes fluttered open and her fingers became hopelessly entangled in her dark hair. She stared up at the ceiling for a moment, gasping for breath, and finally relaxed. Mission and Carth rose and the Twi'lek touched her arm.
"Hey," she murmured. "How're you feeling?"
Carth felt slightly ignored, but shrugged off the feeling as Cortessa wiped sweat off her brow. "How's you're Wookiee?" she mumbled.
Mission flushed unhappily. "We still have to save him."
Cortessa groaned. "I'm sorry."
The younger brushed away the comment with a flick of her hand. "Don't worry. You passed out. It's amazing that rakghoul didn't decapitate you."
Carth gulped. The thought was unnerving.
"We'll get him in the morning," Cortessa said, glancing out the window. She looked back to Mission. "Where are you going to sleep?"
Mission shrugged. "I'll just take a chair," she said.
"No," Cortessa said, and slowly but surely got to her feet. She wobbled and gasped, dizzied, but found her balance. She motioned for Mission to take the bed. "You can have it."
Mission frowned. "You sure you're feeling alright?" she asked.
Cortessa felt the scars on her neck. She winced. Carth had to admit that it was sad to see her pretty skin marred so. Without warning, he stepped up and felt for her temperature. She stood there resignedly, her eyes coming in and out of focus. She had a fever.
He didn't like this. "I'm taking you to Zelka," he said. "Mission, stay here, guard the apartment. Watch holovids or something. We'll be back."
Mission couldn't resist a sly, snide remark. "Take all the time you need."
Carth glared, urging Cortessa out the door. She stumbled, giggling, and the door slid shut behind them both.
------
The next day was damp and depressing. Mission had never really seen a day like this so early into the year – wet seasons came around winter, and it was the beginning of summer. Her headtails had begun secreting early, and she was horribly embarrassed, for they shone wetly in the bright lights in the apartment. She cleaned them when she could and for the most part just kept the three black bands around them to soak up some of the stuff, but Carth and Cortessa didn't seem to notice.
It was amazing how two people could fawn over each other so and not realize it. Mission wasn't a fool – she had seen people look at each other like that before. Griff and Lena, Tarisian couples, men and cantina dancers, rutting gizka… But the two of them seemed to be so oblivious to it, it was painfully obnoxious.
Cortessa healed up by morning. Apparently the serum had some fraking strong sedatives in it, and resulted in fever and delirium. This much was clear when Cortessa had begun thoroughly kissing a chair – and danced around in almost nothing, singing at the top of her lungs. Carth for the most part had tried to calm her down, forcing her onto the bed and telling her to lay down and relax, but she would always dance out of his grip and resume her activities, and in the end Carth had given up to watch her with amusement.
"We gave Zelka that serum we found," Carth said conversationally. "He's reproduced it in mass quantities now. His assistant tried to bite Cortessa's head off for not turning it into Zax. I'm proud of her."
Cortessa rolled over the table, snickering and snorting.
As night really became deep, Carth and Mission went to sleep, and woke up the next morning to see Cortessa passed out on the table, a holovid playing on her stomach. Carth sighed, and handed her to Mission, who wrinkled her nose with disgust.
"Strip her and stuff her in the 'fresher," he said.
Mission gaped. So not only was he going to force a fourteen-year-old to strip an unknown woman to nothing, but he himself wasn't going to indulge in his greatest fantasies and do it instead? She shook her head. "No way!" she cried.
He rolled his eyes. "Just do it. It's not like you can't relate."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You're female, aren't you?"
She spluttered. "What do you know about Twi'lek anatomy?"
"Just do it."
Her headtails had begun to throb. She calmed herself and felt the blood drain from them. Growling and muttering angrily, she did as she was told, but wasn't going to be modest about it. She began stripping Cortessa right there in front of him.
Startled, his face bright red, he stared determinedly out the window, but she wondered as she dragged Cortessa across the floor if he was watching them in the window reflection.
Cortessa woke up in the 'fresher and screamed, flustered. Mission stared back blankly.
"You finished yet?" she asked at last.
"Did you – did he – what?" Cortessa gasped.
Mission rolled her eyes. "Don't worry. He didn't touch you."
Cortessa looked relieved. "Alright. Just… get me some clothes, please?" she asked softly.
Mission snarled. She hated being ordered around. She grabbed the woman some clothes and tossed them to her. "When you're finished, it's my turn," she growled.
Cortessa hurriedly dressed and Mission hopped into the 'fresher. They chatted as Cortessa tied her hair back in a tight braid, her eyes fixed on her reflection.
Mission peaked over the top of the 'fresher. "You're actually really pretty, you know. If you'd just let your hair down once and a while."
Cortessa glowered as two stubborn strands fell into her icy eyes. "No, I'm not. I look like a man," she said.
"That's not true," Mission said. It was true – Cortessa, though her face was strong and straight and square, was lovely. Her lips were full and thick, and her eyes were stunning. She was wolfish and firm but fair, and it all just added up in a rather entrancing way.
Cortessa tilted her head to one side, studying herself. "Should I really let my hair down?"
"Not today," Mission replied, stepping out and pulling on her head brace. "We're going into the Undercity today." She slipped on her headtail bands. "And the sewers. You don't want sewage in your hair, do you?"
Cortessa smiled at her as she pulled on her pants. "I guess not," she said. There was a firm rap on the door.
"Are you quite finished?" Carth snapped on the other side.
"We got a naked teenage Twi'lek in here and a half-dressed space wench," Cortessa replied loudly, and kicked the door. "So shut up and shave or something."
There was silence on the other side, minus Carth's unhappy grumbling.
"I can't shave," Mission heard him growl. "You're taking up the bathroom again."
Swift as light, Cortessa opened the door and chucked a hairbrush at the back of his head.
------
It was hard enough with one woman, Carth had decided. But two – one of which was a sporadic and emotional Twi'lek that currently hated his guts – was two too many. As the two girls walked ahead of him, bound at the ankle and wrist, a few people gave him quizzical stares. It was one thing to have a Twi'lek slave, but for a man to have two lovely whores walking with him in the middle of the day was a different thing altogether. They were going to have to think up a new identity if they were going to pass through undetected.
The guard shouted and threw himself against the wall as Carth and Cortessa walked by.
"What, did you give birth?" the man in silver cried, and slammed the elevator, forcing it to open. "Stay the hell away from me!"
Mission giggled hysterically as the door shut. Cortessa turned her back to both of them and pulled off her tight-fitting shirt to replace it with her normal one. While Carth looked away dutifully, Mission watched with curiosity.
By the time they reached the Undercity, the two women had gradually changed back to normal dress. The guard let them pass, not even bothering to look at them twice, and they made their way into the sewers.
"That's an hour wasted," Carth said as they dropped down the last rungs to land with a clang on the sewer ramp. "Let's get moving."
"Hey… Carth?" Cortessa asked.
Carth looked back. "Yes? What's on your mind?"
"I want to talk with you."
Mission wisely chose to become absorbed with some fungus growing on the wall.
Carth folded his arms. He knew where their conversations led already, and she had been very abrupt with him lately. "Oh, so you want to argue some more, is that it?" he said coldly.
Her smile made his throat feel odd. She rested her hands on her hips, raising her eyebrows. "I'm always up for a good fight," she said.
He laughed and she laughed with him. He was amazed. He hadn't met anyone in a long time that could make him feel so twisted. "Can't say I've met a woman quite like you before. You're really something," he said. She was obviously flattered, smiling at him.
"You're not so bad yourself," she told him, and her voice had gone strangely husky.
Carth shook his head. "But I just don't trust easily, and for good reasons… which are my own."
She stepped up and looked him in the eye. He could feel her breath on his face. Her hand was pressed on his chest. She didn't mean to be intimate – he could tell from the harshness in her eyes. She wanted to help. He groaned.
"Ah, damn it. I suppose I won't get any rest until I talk, will I?" he whined. His reply was a grin. He sighed. "You want to know why I don't trust anyone? Fine. Here goes."
Mission sat on the railing of the sewer ramp, watching with unmasked interest. Carth felt uncomfortable with an audience, but he spoke anyway.
"Five years ago, the Jedi had just finished the war with the Mandalorians. Revan and Malak were heroes. I was damn proud to have served in their fleet. It was completely unexpected when they turned on us, invading the Republic while it was still weak. Nobody knew what to thing, least of all me." Cortessa's eyes were soft and he ignored her, plunging on. "Our heroes had become brutal, conquering Sith… and we were all but helpless before them. Think about it… if you can't even trust the best of the Jedi, who can you trust?"
The look on her face was unbearable. Her expression was moving, as if she truly felt his pain. "I suppose you can't," she murmured. "That must have been hard to take."
Words slithered past his lips before he could stop them. "I –" HALT! REWIND. He shook his head. "It wasn't even that. There were others: good, solid men. Trusted men, who turned on us as well, and joined their cause." His anger welled up in his throat and it rode in waves, turning his voice harsh. "Malak and Revan and the Sith deserve to die for what they've done… but the ones who fled the Republic and joined them are even worse. The dark side has nothing to do with why they joined with the Sith. They deserve no mercy!"
Cortessa's eyes grew wide with shock. Her voice was so quiet Mission had to lean forward to hear. "I haven't joined the Sith, Carth."
Carth struggled for a moment, battling between his guilt and his common sense. He sighed resignedly. "I know… I… I should apologize to you. I've become so accustomed to expecting the worst from others and you've done nothing to deserve that. It's just…" He bit his lip. Slick words and loose lips, Onasi. "Never mind. Let's just continue with what we were doing. I'd rather not talk about it."
Cortessa frowned. "But I do," she said quietly.
He ignored her and started down the hallway. Accidentally, he set off a mine up ahead, but recovered quickly enough. Cortessa shoved him against the wall.
"You idiot!" she snapped, and he smiled back silently. She glared, her cheeks and lips becoming flushed. "I'm leading now, you got it?"
She was actually cute when she was mad. Carth grinned. "Sure, beautiful. Sure."
Mission opened a door up ahead. "This is the entrance to the Vulkar base," she said, motioning towards the shining force field. "When we find Zaalbar, I'll help you past it."
They continued on. It didn't take much time to find Zaalbar, but the Gamorreans nearly overtook them. Luckily Cortessa's blind battle rage saw them through, and Mission's impeccable security skills got the door open.
She considered the lock out loud. "Hmm… look at this. This is one of those old-style manual locks. No computer codes or nothing! The sewers is the only place you'll see one of these on Taris." She looked back at them. "I can't use conventional security spikes on these old locks, but don't worry. I've come across them before. I've rigged up a little device that should do the trick." With a haughty toss of her head, she got to work, flushing with pleasure when Cortessa said, "Clever." The door whooshed open.
Carth cried out as a huge ball of fur engulfed Mission tightly, and the room echoed with Zaalbar's jubilant roars. He caught some garbled Wookiee-talk (he forgot the appropriate name, because he hadn't really taken the time to learn the language). The Wookiee was glad to see Mission, but felt a little suspicious about her companions.
Mission grinned, pointing at Carth. "That's Carth," she said. Zaalbar studied Carth closely, his hot breath blasting into his face. Carth blanched and shut his eyes, feeling his stomach churn, and Mission quickly pulled the Wookiee back. "He's okay. If it weren't for these two, I never could have gotten you out!"
Zaalbar nodded his approval, stepping back. He turned his dark eyes to Cortessa now. "And who are you?" he growled.
Cortessa smiled and bowed to the Wookiee before, much to Carth's utter amazement, began speaking in a low voice, growling and roaring in Wookiee-speak. Carth literally fell over, smacking his head against the hard metal walls of the sewers.
Mission stared at him, raising an eyebrow. She, too, looked surprised, but hadn't reacted as badly as he had.
He had a lot to learn about Cortessa. He hadn't even realized it, but he did.
Zaalbar, too, looked shocked. He apparently voiced this amazement, because Cortessa flushed with pleasure. But then her expression turned to mortified amazement.
Mission gasped, pressing her hands to her headtails. "A lifedebt?" she cried. "Are you sure about that, Big Z? Think about it carefully! You'd better be sure about this!"
Cortessa looked faint. Carth rushed to hold her up. The last thing he wanted was for her to get another blow to the noggin. Zaalbar mumbled and roared softly, his nose flushing.
Mission turned to Cortessa and grabbed her shoulders, her eyes wide with the intensity and importance of this moment. "Big Z's swearing a Wookiee lifedebt to you! Wow – this is so major! Do you realize what this means?"
Cortessa nodded. "It's…" She couldn't finish her sentence. For Carth's sake, Mission explained.
"A lifedebt is the most solemn vow a Wookiee can make! It means he'll stay by you for the rest of your life – wherever you go, whatever you do, Zaalbar will be with you."
Cortessa leaned against Carth. Her breath was gone.
Zaalbar pressed a furry paw to his forehead in a salute, roaring earnestly.
Cortessa finally came to. "I'm honored," she murmured. "I… thank you."
Mission pushed forward. "I guess this means you're stuck with me, too. Wherever Big Z goes, I'm going. I almost lost him once – it's not going to happen again."
Cortessa's face broke out in a genuine grin. Carth got the feeling she had a soft spot for the girl. "Glad you have you aboard, Mission," Cortessa said, and they shook hands.
Mission's smile turned impish. "So I guess I still owe you one secret path into the Vulkar base. That was the deal, wasn't it? Don't worry – I can get you through that scum den!"
Cortessa nodded. "Good. The sooner we get there, the better." She paused. "Once you get me inside, you go back, okay? Keep out of trouble."
Mission glared. "I better come with you," she said forcefully. "I know all about that place. I've been there loads of times. I just hope the rancor monster isn't still there."
Cortessa would have dropped to the floor if Carth hadn't been holding her. "Rancor?" she spluttered. "Are you serious?"
Mission flushed a little. "There used to be a rancor monster that made its nest in that part of the sewers," she mumbled. "Pretty much eats anything it can get its claws on. That thing is huge! Luckily, rancors aren't too bright. I was able to sneak past it before, so I'm sure we'll figure something out. That is…" Here her voice grew sly and tricky, "unless you want to change your mind…?"
Cortessa's resolve hardened. "That's not really an option," she snapped. "Let's go."
Mission nodded. "Okay then," she said. "Off we go!"
------
Author's Notes: Hahaha. I had fun with this one.
SilverSentinal21 - Thank you very much. c",) Your support means a lot to me. I'm afraid I will avoid reading more of your excellent story until I get at least half-way through the KOTOR II game, which will take a while. I'm stuck on Telos and haven't a clue as to where anything is.
lOngshotOR - I liked how Cortessa slapped her too. XD
FaintlyAlarming - Will do. Nice to see a new face.
